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Coyotes-Wolves-Cougars.blogspot.com

Grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars/ mountain lions,bobcats, wolverines, lynx, foxes, fishers and martens are the suite of carnivores that originally inhabited North America after the Pleistocene extinctions.
This site invites research, commentary, point/counterpoint on that suite of native animals (predator and prey) that inhabited The Americas circa 1500-at the initial point of European exploration and subsequent colonization.
Landscape ecology, journal accounts of explorers and frontiersmen, genetic evaluations of museum animals, peer reviewed 20th and 21st century research on various aspects of our "Wild America" as well as subjective commentary from expert and layman alike. All of the above being revealed and discussed with the underlying goal of one day seeing our Continent rewilded.....Where big enough swaths of open space exist with connective corridors to other large forest, meadow, mountain, valley, prairie, desert and chaparral wildlands.....Thereby enabling all of our historic fauna, including man, to live in a sustainable and healthy environment. - Blogger Rick

Wild Ideas: Beavers: nature's

engineer

"I'm a big fan of the symbol of the beaver because
I feel a country gets the animal it deserves. A beaver
is an unaggressive, hard-working, waterproof,
unassuming, wonderful animal and I think it
speaks well of Canadians that we chose it."

That's what David Morrison, director of
archeology and history at the Musée Canadien
des Civilisations in Hull, Quebec, is quoted as
saying in a 2011 article in the Huffington Post
Canada. With the boom in fur trading now
long gone, Canada was debating whether it
should keep the North American beaver
(Castor canadensis) as an official symbol
of the country's sovereignty. In any case,
I think Morrison's characterization of the
beaver was apt.

Its long, scaly tail, webbed feet and thick fur make this beaver well adapted for aquatic living. Photo by Steve via Wikimedia.

The largest rodent in North America and
second largest in the world behind South
America's capybara, beavers typically grow
to three or four feet long (excluding the tail)
and 30-60 pounds. The largest beaver on
record is 85 pounds, according to theVirginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service.

At least 65 million beavers — possibly five
times that number — were thought to have
inhabited North America before Europeans
arrived. However, by the beginning of the
20th century, the beaver was on the brink
of extinction from overhunting for its musk
(used in perfume and folk medicines) and
luxurious fur.

With increased concern about nature
conservation in general following World
War II, beavers were reintroduced into
many areas, including Virginia. By 1988
their numbers on the continent had
increased to 12 million, making their
recovery "one of the greatest conservation
stories," according to an article in the
January/February 2003 issue of National
Parks magazine.

Often called "nature's engineer," the beaver
is second only to humans in reengineering
natural ecosystems, and without them
Virginia would have few naturally
occurring ponds. Beavers create ponds to
protect their lodges, which they build out
of trees they gnaw down. Access to the
lodges is under water.

The deep water also enables beavers to
transport larger tree segments to the
construction site. They will even dig
canals to aid in such material transport.
When they can't build dams, beavers will
dig tunnels that are 10-40 foot long in the
banks of streams to use as dens, according
to VaFWIS. Because of the steep gradient
and rocky bottoms of streams at their
headwaters, beavers are not usually not
found in those areas.

While humans may not be happy with the
beaver's engineering, the ponds and
wetlands it creates serve as habitat for
many other species. When beavers move
on, many of these wetlands convert to
meadows, providing habitat to other
species before forest takes over again.
With this cascading effect, populations
of many species rebound along with the
beavers.

Humans should also value some of the
ecoservices beavers provide, including
the buffering effect on adjacent lands.
The ponds and wetlands beavers produce
keep water in the landscape for drier
times and, during precipitation events,
slow runoff and reduce flooding,
capturing silt and pollutants in the process.

The beaver that had recently gnawed
down a few tulip tree saplings at a pond
where I live seems to have moved on,
likely driven off by all of the human
activity from the trout-fishing operation
at the adjacent pond. While I didn't get a
chance to see this particular beaver, I've
been lucky enough to observe others on
various occasions.

During the summer, beavers mostly feed on herbaceous (non-woody) plants and leaves of trees, shifting to bark and small twigs later in the year. They cache twigs in their lodge to eat when winter ice prevents them from foraging. While beavers prefer aspens, they will feed on a variety of other trees, with willows and cottonwoods also near the top of the list.

Some targeted species, such as native
willow, actually benefit from this trimming,
which stimulates root growth and the spread
of suckers. When a beaver is cutting branchesbelow water, its lips close behind its front teeth,
keeping water from entering its mouth.

Although they are nocturnal, beavers can occasionally be spotted around ponds and streams during the day, especially at dawn and dusk. They are monogamous and breed cooperatively, which is rare among mammals. Dominant males and females control mating within a colony of four to eight related individuals.

Mating starts in January and continues
through March, with kits born in the spring.
Two-year-olds leave the lodge or are driven
out just before the birth of another litter.
While they can move as much as 150 miles
from their birth place, young beavers
usually stick within a few miles of their parents.

Thus into the clear, brown waterSilently sank Pau-Puk-Keewis: Found the bottom covered overWith the trunks of trees and branches,Hoards of food against the winter, Piles and heaps against the famine;Found the lodge with arching doorway,Leading into spacious chambers.

To quote James Thurber, another

American writer,

"One has but to observe a community
of beavers at work in a stream to
understand the loss in his sagacity,
balance, co-operation, competence
and purpose which Man has suffered
since he rose up on his hind legs.
He began to chatter and he developed
Reason, Thought and Imagination,
qualities which would get the smartest
group of rabbits or orioles in the world
into inextricable trouble overnight."

Two Massachusetts Eastern Coyotes at their den site

Eastern Wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

Aldo Leopold--3 quotes from his SAN COUNTY ALMANAC

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

Aldo Leopold

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

Aldo Leopold

''To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering."

Wildlife Rendezvous

Like so many conscientious hunters and anglers come to realize, good habitat with our full suite of predators and prey make for healthy and productive living............Teddy Roosevelt depicted at a "WILDLIFE RENDEZVOUS"

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This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time…I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of my various thoughts and opinions, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Rick Meril and WWW.COYOTES-WOLVES-COUGARS.COM make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.